WASHINGTON — A congressional panel led by U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas quietly ditched a longtime requirement for House members to report free trips taken on the dime of private groups when filing annual reports on their personal finances.

Lawmakers still have to report the privately-funded trips to the House Clerk's Office but are no longer required to make the disclosures in personal financial statements. Government watchdogs say eliminating the reporting requirement on lawmakers' financial statements means fewer people will know about the trips — which undermines transparency in government.

"There is a very rich history of members of Congress being wined and dined on trips funded by companies or lobbyists or others, and it has led to scandals," said Viveca Novak, spokeswoman for the Center for Responsive Politics. "To kind of try to sweep this whole area back under the rug is something history would dictate is going to be problematic."

Conaway's office referred all questions about the decision to the House Ethics Committee, which issued a statement saying it remains "committed to effective and efficient public disclosure."

The committee apparently made the changes months ago and quietly posted them on its website. The changes weren't widely known until news reports revealed them this week.

As the House developed a system for filing personal financial reports online, committee staff recommended changes to personal financial disclosure forms for lawmakers and their aides, HEC staff director Tom Rust said. The changes included not requiring duplicate information about privately funded trips, which is provided in more detail elsewhere.

The committee adopted the changes, "publicly highlighted" them in instructions sent to all financial disclosure filers and posted them on its website, Rust said.

The committee still requires prior approval for privately funded trips and detailed post-trip reports filed within 15 days of returning, he said. The post-trip reports are available publicly in an online searchable database at www.clerk.house.gov.

But a government watchdog called the change in trip reporting "a blatant attempt to avoid accountability."

"The only Americans who would possibly be in favor of this change are members of Congress," Melanie Sloan, executive director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. "It seems some lawmakers are eager to enjoy privately funded lavish trips without facing pesky questions from watchdog groups and constituents. The idea that this is a change for efficiency's sake is ludicrous."

Conaway, a Republican from Midland who is HEC chairman, received an extension to file his 2013 personal finance report as late as Aug. 13 this year. It was originally due May 15 this year when he requested the extension.

"The congressman made a decision to err on the side of caution and requested an extension versus the potential of submitting incorrect or insufficient information on his disclosure form," Conaway spokesman Ted Monoson said in a statement.

New rules require each financial transaction be accounted for separately, Monoson said. Previously, smaller transactions could be combined.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called for the reinstatement of the trip reporting requirement on lawmakers' financial disclosure forms Tuesday.

"While the committee's aim was to simplify the disclosure process, Congress must always move in the direction of more disclosure, not less," Pelosi said in a statement.

If the HEC doesn't act, she'll ask House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to allow a vote on legislation reversing the committee's decision, Pelosi said. She encouraged members to disclose free trips anyway on their personal finance reports.